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What Time is it Anyway?/Chapter 4
"What?" Connor bared his teeth at her. "That's absurd! You're the one pretending!" "Excuse me?" Briar put her hands on her hips, glaring back with equal fervor. "I'm a Beauty, you arrogant little savage. Of course I'm not pretending! I'm here on virtue of bloodline!" "And so am I!" Connor poked her chest with every word, punctuating the point. "You're not even meant to be up yet!" "And, you're not meant to be alive!" Briar pushed him backwards. "Quit avoiding the subject! You're stealing my story!" "Please, you're the thief here!" Connor hissed. "Do you think I've worked so hard for this long to deal with some princess with a sleeping problem and a superiority complex?" Behind them, Apple gasped before shuffling away to give them some space. Briar, for her part, whistled lowly. That was a diss she could be impressed by, even if it was directed at her. "As if it's any better to be a royal raised by monsters who's playing dress up with the very idea of belonging to a prestigious role when you really should just stay in the trash with the other riffraff you call family." Briar sneered, dishing out as much sass as he gave. Connor recoiled, hurt appearing for the first time in his gaze before it was swallowed by pure hatred. "Do you even listen to yourself when you speak? You have no idea as to what you're talking about." "Well, then, enlighten me." Briar leered. "Because right now, as I see it, you're just a pretty little liar with monstrous roots." "My parents," Connor leaned towards her, anger rolling off of him in waves, "are legitimate royalty. And, no matter what you think, we've been that way for a long while." He relished the surprised look on her face. It was almost as satisfying as picturing pummeling her face in with his bare hands. Somewhere within him, his inner ogre roared with approval. "So?" "So, as I see it, you're faking your prestigious lineage to try and steal my story from me! Everyone knows there's only one Beauty left!" Connor threw up his hands with exasperation. The people here were impossible! "... What did you just say?" Briar whispered softly, her brain struggling to process this new piece of information. "I said," Connor gritted his teeth, "that the Beauties aren't around anymore where I come from. It's not rocket science. The curse doesn't work for anyone except for the Beauty itself anymore. Not that you are one." He said scornfully. A terrible notion began to occur to Briar, even with the news that her curse was more unstable than her family had feared. "What year is it where you come from?" Connor eyed her, confused. "2117. Why?" Briar's eyes widened with shock. "Look, Connor," she said sheepishly, "I don't know how to tell you this, but-" "But what?" Connor interrupted, impatient. "The year here is 2017." Connor felt all of the color drain from his face. "What?" "It's 2017." Briar repeated. "Not 2117. 2017." "T-That can't be right!" Connor stammered anxiously. "That's not something fun to joke about ever! You can't tell me that my parents haven't even been born yet!" "Connor, how did you get here?" Briar asked pointedly. "Through a portal." Connor answered without much thought. "Long distance travel is hard, so they arranged for me to arrive that way." "Then, I'm sorry to say this, but I think you might have been the subject of a temporal experiment." She told him softly in an attempt to soften the blow. "Because you really shouldn't be here." Connor took in a shaky breath. It was startling, having to go from fiercely hating this girl to learning that someone had sent him through time all for the sake of testing it. He felt used, violated. And he wanted to go home. "How can I get back?" He looked at her, wild eyed and trembling. "There has to be a way, right?" Briar shook her head. "I'm sorry, but no. There isn't. The instant you came here, that changed the timeline. Like it or not, Connor, but you're stuck here. Your family no longer exists." To his credit, Connor didn't cry. Yes, his heart was being wrenched in two by a girl who he didn't even like. Yes, he would never see his mother's beaming smile again. But that wasn't a reason to break down sobbing in a high school corridor. He would have to remain strong in honor of their memory. "Then," his look became more menacing than before, "someone here has a lot to answer for." Previous Chapter! Next Chapter! Category:Fanfiction Category:Original Character Fanfiction Category:Canon Character Fanfiction Category:Subpages